Aegean Dreams... a desk makeover

Did you see the desk makeover I started last week?  The one seen here.

Well here she is in all her new glory!  And do you know what makes it so sweet?  My husband wasn't too sure when I mentioned painting the desk this color.  And now he LOVES it!  He loves how it brings out the colors in the painting above it and how the hardware really coordinates with the frame.

And I didn't spend a DIME!! 

 The spray paint, the hardware, the desk paint... all items we already had from previous projects or things which had been given to us.

(I just noticed a couple of spots where I had some paint over-spray.  It will be cleaned up SOON!)

Linky Parties:

Vintage Revivals: Look What I Found Fridays

My mediterranean inspired desk (edited to include final picture!)

You know how we have this addition being built, right?  Well now the re-decorating bug has bit me... plus the crafting bug.  So I am going to start posting some of my "projects" since I can't get into the addition yet.  OH yeah I haven't shared the latest in our series of adventures or should that be our mis-adventures.  Remember the gorgeous flooring I was telling you about... well it came in early!!  And our contractor picked it up.  And I took a look at it later in the day and.... it was the WRONG flooring.  So we called Lowe's and apparently the company (Pergo or possibly Lowe's) shipped out the WRONG flooring.  So now we are waiting for it to come in which means it has to sit in the house for ANOTHER 48 hours once it arrives which means it will be NEXT week before the project is done.  I am trying to stay calm... and have succeeded so far.  But if I have to listen to the painter's music another hour I might scream.... its not loud or even bad but its not my taste.  In fact I rarely play music because I like the sound of silence.  I know crazy, huh?!? But what can I say, give the sound of the wind whistling or the birds chirping and I am one happy girl.  Or for that matter the sound of the ocean breaking on the beach or rocks plus the sound of gulls screaming, the smell of brine, wild roses and wild beach plums... far better than any artificial fragrance known to mankind.  The more you see of our home the more you will see what inspires me, God's creation, more specifically the ocean.

Do you see my lovely lady? 

I got her at a friend's yard sale about 10 years ago and she got her at a yard sale about 20 years prior to that from 2 lovely sisters who were cleaning out the old family estate.

This little lady had been in their family for a good 40 to 50 years!

Time has not been kind to her or more accurately the movers have not been good to her.

So I knew it was time for a little updating...

Here she sits now waiting her new handles and a bit more polish on her dainty feet

(plus another coat of paint)
(edited: I forgot to mention I ran out of paint prior to getting the legs and interior done... so it will be off to pick up more paint either later tonight or tomorrow! Thanks Gail for catching that!)

See what I mean about my love of the sea and all its glory!  Do you see the picture hanging above my desk?  Well I bought it while in college from a little gallery owned by an acquaintance.  

It's a coastal village in France.

My dream (the coastal village but necessarily in France.)

When I look at it I can hear the cry of the gulls, smell the savory brine of fish and warm coastal breezes, taste the salt on my lips, and almost feel the sun warming my skin.

But for now I am content to dream and to linger in the faint memories of my early childhood.

And now for the final reveal....

Isn't she the sweetest thing around?!

And do you know what's crazy???
I've been trying to convince my husband that she would look great painted like this for the past couple of years.  (let's just say we agreed to disagree on the matter so I decided to bide my time....)
Now he LOVES this desk when before he merely liked her.
(and I see versions of her popping up all over the internet!  Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought she would look adorable with a bit of a make-over!)

Linked to:

 
I was caught: 

The Saga continues... (edited with photos)

(For the time being I will be photo free... no this is not by choice!  blogger and my computer are currently at odds. blogger refuses to acknowledge the newest downloads...)

I just now realized that I didn't tell you our "plans" for the weekend!!  It was definitely an exciting morning!!  Remember me saying we were getting new flooring in the kitchen and dining room since it will flow into the family room.  Well this morning we emptied both rooms... and started taking our old "laminate" flooring up.  Let's just say it was a day of discovery!!  ha ha!  First we discovered our laminate floor was not laminate but a really good linoleum.  Yep you read that correctly!  It had us fooled, the realtor fooled, and the previous owner fooled plus our contractor.  Crazy!

 Our discoveries:

1. linoleum not laminate

2. TONS of staples!!

3. wet subfloor and 4. mold 5. the "tiny" leak from the tub in the boys' bathroom was NOT tiny

6. the dishwasher leaks (A LOT)

7. the dishwasher is beyond repair

But the good news is:

1.  the flooring is up and prepped for the new laminate

2. the mold is cleaned up

3. the subfloor is drying nicely

4. the plumber is making the leak a higher priority

5. we looked at new dishwashers

6. removed the island and kitchen looks HuGE

7. bought family room light

8. decided on paint color for family room

9. bought a new light for the boys' room

So as you can see it was a very productive day!!

Day 3 of Drywall work....

I am so excited I can hardly stand myself!!  Tomorrow will be the final skim coat plus texturizing of the ceiling which means Friday will be the sanding day (a day I plan to out and about!!)  Do you see that wonderful opening?  It makes it seem so much bigger in here!  I love it.  Now to decide if we paint it white or the same color as the dining room/kitchen.  Any suggestions?  We can have it painted the same color as the kitchen if we want.  I just have to let our contractor know... but the guest/craft/music room will be WHITE!  That way I can do all kinds of crazy stuff in there!!

(current configuration)

Proposed changes to dining room

and kitchen

I know the flooring looks great but we discovered we can't match it!  And as you can tell it will run directly into the addition so we are putting in ALL new flooring.  

The old flooring you ask?  

Well it will be saved to put down in the boys' bedroom or make repairs to the bathrooms.

(I just haven't mentioned this to Chris yet... but I'm sure he will agree!)

Drywall!!! And a question or two

Wow... have it ever been crazy around here lately what with all the end of the school year projects, activities, house projects, and the annual church rummage sale!  I mean seriously has everyone been watching hoarders?!?  Because with the amount of clothes that ended up at our sale I know someone (or a few) did some serious emptying of their closets.  Think a standard size school gymnasium/basketball court
FILLED with stuff... yep you read that STUFF!  And no I did not take any pictures (as she hangs her head in shame...)  I think it would have been too overwhelming.  I had a hard time keeping track of my water bottle and my soda, let alone add a camera to the mix. ha ha!

The renovation is coming along quite nicely.  Today they are doing a little mudding and it looks like they will be ready to sand on Friday which means next MONDAY the new floors will be installed!!!!  Which means no road trip to Zionsville for an awesome yard/antique sale but we will be getting NEW FLOORING!!!  I am so excited!  In fact there is every possibility their work will be done Memorial Day weekend.  So Chris and I had better get a move on!  We still have to decide on a ceiling light for the family room and area rugs plus furniture.  Yes you did read that correct!  Furniture... as in we have none to put in there.  We do have the sofa, Chris' recliner, and the rocking chair in the living room plus a number of bookcases but that not all of it will be moved over!  Oh I almost forgot about the steamer trunk and the hutch which will both be moved into the family room and craft room.

New opening between the dining room and family room.

The family room

The guest/craft/music room

For the time being this is where we will set-up the Bowflex.  In a few years it might become a walk-in closet.

Now for the questions...

Question number 1: What do you think of a faux board and batten treatment with white paint?  Too much white?  Too much of a contrast between rooms?

Question number 2: Ceiling fixture in the family room... something that hangs down a little?  ceiling hugging? Remember the ceiling is slightly lower than normal but higher than the bedrooms.  I think we agreed a ceiling fax would be too low.

Question number 3:  furniture suggestions?  T.V. placement?  It will be mounted on the wall but not sure where... Bookcases? yes? no?  loveseat?  We don't want to overwhelm the room but do want seating for movie watching and video game playing.   The guys seem to prefer sitting on the floor to play video games as they like to be close to the T.V.

I do know that I want silver or brushed nickle in the ceiling fixture.

Thanks for all your suggestions!!

Stone raised bed garden (my mother's day present!)

Do you see this incredibly sweet man?

Do you know what he is doing?

Have you figured it out?

He made me a stone raised bed garden in front of the swimming pool! 

(okay I confess I asked him to make it but still didn't he do a great job!!)

And do you know what??? It didn't cost us a single thing!!  

The whole bed is made from the remains of our old patio.

By the way... the addition sits on the spot of the old patio!

Thank you sweetie!

A BIG THANK YOU!

I want to thank everyone who voted for us in the Epic Room Makeover Giveaway over at Vintage Revivals.  No we did not make it to the next round but I hopefully I will glean some wonderful ideas due to it.

Now the big news.... do you see what I see?

WINDOWS!

All the windows are now in plus our lovely sliding glass door!

See our lovely view as well!  Its an organic farm with sheep and cows and chickens and goats... all for our viewing pleasure.  I love watching the new lambs and calves frolicking!  They are so incredibly cute!

Don't you just love the view of the pool?  Do you see the grass just outside the window?  That area that runs over to the fence.  Well come early summer it is going to be a deck!  Last summer we traded our enclosed trailer for the labor to have it built this spring.  Now we just need to purchase the materials...

And do you see all the lovely morning light we get?  I can hardly wait for them to finish.... This weeks schedule looks like this... plumber to plumb itty bitty powder room.  finish pulling the electric.  finish roof overhang.  start insulating (possibly finish?). 

Yesterday, the drywall was ordered so maybe next week we will see some drywall going up.  

Which reminds me... I wonder when we need to have the flooring??? We still need to order it and were told it will take a 7 days to come in.  I guess we better get on that!

And do you see this area?  Well it is in the spare room.

One day it will be a walk-in closet but for now....

it will contain shelving for craft storage and possibly the bowflex!  

Sorry but there has been absolutely NO crafting going on right now.... I think my brain is on overload as we are attending all of the end of the school year functions.  Plus our eldest has decided he does not want to go to college right out of high school.  He wants to go into the military!  The USMC to be exact... be still my beating heart!  I am so proud of him and my prayer is that he will continue to allow God to lead him in all his decisions.  We can only hold their hand for so long before we start having to let go and watch as they make their own decisions.  Am I ready for this?  NOT in the LEAST!  But he is a young man and we cannot make his decisions concerning his future as an adult!  He has always had a pretty level head and I am so proud of his willingness to try new things!  

I love you and am so proud of you, Ian!!

my crazy boys!

(I still have no idea how he did this one!)

Don't you just love my cousin-children? 

Trust me its a question they get all the time.... 

"You mean HE'S your brother?  But you don't look anything alike!"

Yep meet fair skinned with freckles and straight red hair (coppery strawberry blonde) and mediterranean skin tone with deep brown eyes and curly brown/black hair, brothers... 5 years apart!

Enjoy your week and Cinco de Mayo tomorrow!  

We will!!

Voting is now open!!

Hey there all my lovely friends!  The link is now up and live for the




Please stop by and vote!  I am entry #78, Peggy.  Thank you so very much!  You have no idea how excited we are or how badly we would love to win!!  I figure one way or the other we will come out winners as I've discovered some really wonderful new blogs along the way!  Once again thank you of so very much!